May 27, 2020 - Energy & Environment
WSJ: Amazon in talks to buy self-driving tech company Zoox
- Joann Muller, author of Axios What's Next
A Zoox robot car on a test drive in 2019. Photo: Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images
Amazon is in advanced talks to buy Zoox, a developer of autonomous vehicle technology, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday night.
Why it matters: It's the latest move by the e-commerce giant, which appears to be building an electric, autonomous logistics operation through its investments in EV truck maker Rivian, self-driving tech company Aurora Innovation and now, potentially, Zoox, which had been planning to introduce a robo-taxi service.
- The Journal cautioned that an agreement may be weeks away and the discussions could still fall apart.
- Earlier, The Information reported that Zoox was considering a sale while continuing to look for additional funding.
The intrigue: Zoox has been intent on developing a robo-taxi service using a vehicle developed in-house, but it's unlikely Amazon wants to get into driverless ride-sharing.
- More likely, it will seek to blend Zoox's AV expertise with that of Aurora and Rivian, which it has tapped to deliver a fleet of 100,000 electric delivery trucks.